Seoul Window
By the time the third bowl of samgyetang has stopped feeling special, Koreans who are serious about 보양식 boyangsik (food that restores the body) start talking about two other things: a plate of charcoal-grilled eel with shredded ginger, and a pot of loach soup thick enough to stand a spoon in. Neither is a one-day boknal ritual. Eel restaurants fill up all summer, and loach soup is traditionally an autumn food, which makes October a very good month to try it. This is Part 3 of our boyangsik series, after samgyetang and black goat and duck.
The short answer
- Seoul's chueotang landmark: Yonggeumok, founded in 1932 and a Seoul Future Heritage. It now has two branches with different broths: Da-dong (near City Hall) and Tongin-dong (Seochon, 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand).
- Two styles: Seoul-style chutang uses whole loach in a red beef broth; Namwon-style chueotang grinds the loach with doenjang and greens. Many menus let you choose "tong" (whole) or "gal-aseo" (ground).
- Prices: chueotang is about ₩9,000–15,000 a bowl on 2026 menus; grilled freshwater eel runs ₩31,000–44,000 per eel or about ₩36,000 per 200g.
- Solo eel: order a lunch eel rice bowl. Ilmi Jangeo near Seoul Station (a Baengnyeon Gage) serves one on weekdays.
- "Jangeo" is not one fish. Freshwater eel, conger, pike conger and hagfish are four different animals, at four different prices.
Why do Koreans eat eel and loach for stamina?
Because both are rich, fatty, protein-dense foods, and because tradition says so. Korea’s boyangsik logic is simple: when the body feels drained by heat, work or illness, eat something dense and slow-cooked. Eel’s oily flesh and loach’s bone-in richness fit that idea perfectly.
The written history is thinner than the folklore. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture points out that chueotang does not appear in Joseon-era cookbooks at all; the closest record is a dish called 추두부탕 chudubu-tang (loach-and-tofu soup) in the 19th-century encyclopedia Oju yeonmun jangjeon sango. The same entry says loach is best from July to November and was eaten as an autumn seasonal food, though farming has made it a year-round dish. For eel, Korean press accounts point to the 1814 fish encyclopedia Jasan eobo, which records several eel species separately. Beyond that, most of what you will hear about eel’s “stamina” power is popular belief rather than medical fact.
ℹ️ Background: four fish called "jangeo"
On a Korean menu, 장어 jangeo (eel) can mean four different animals. Freshwater eel is the premium one; hagfish is not technically an eel at all but a jawless primitive fish. Prices and cooking methods follow the species.
🐟 The four "eels" on Korean menus
| Korean name | Also called | What it is | How it’s eaten | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 민물장어 Minmul-jangeo | Baemjangeo, “pungcheon jangeo”, unagi | Freshwater eel (Anguilla japonica), almost all farmed | Charcoal-grilled with salt or sauce, eel soup | Highest |
| 바다장어 Bada-jangeo | Bungjangeo, anago | Conger eel, a sea fish | Grilled, raw slices (anago hoe), eel soup | Mid |
| 갯장어 Gaet-jangeo | Hamo | Pike conger, a southern-coast summer catch | Blanched hot pot (hamo shabu-shabu) | High, seasonal |
| 먹장어 Meok-jangeo | Kkomjangeo, gomjangeo | Hagfish, a jawless fish, not a true eel | Skinned and grilled with salt or spicy sauce | Lowest |
What does “pungcheon jangeo” mean?
You will see 풍천장어 pungcheon jangeo on signs all over Seoul. There are two explanations, and Korean sources use both. One says it names a specific place: the mouth of the Inchon River near Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, North Jeolla, Korea’s best-known eel region. The other says pungcheon (“wind river”) is a general word for the brackish water where a river meets the sea, where young eels swim upstream on the tide. On Seoul signboards today, it simply means “freshwater eel,” not a guarantee that the eel came from Gochang.
One more thing worth knowing: Korean freshwater eel is almost entirely farmed, and the farms depend on catching or importing wild glass eels because large-scale artificial breeding has not been commercialized. Herald Business reported in 2025 that about 80% of the young eels used in 2023 were imported. That supply problem is why eel is expensive and why prices move from year to year.
How do you eat grilled eel in Korea?
Grilled, wrapped and with ginger. Most eel restaurants par-grill the eel in the kitchen and finish it over charcoal or a gas grill at your table, and staff usually do the grilling for you. The choices you make are the cut, the seasoning and the amount.
- Salt or sauce. 소금구이 sogeum-gui (salt-grilled) lets the eel’s own flavor through; 양념구이 yangnyeom-gui is brushed with a sweet soy or gochujang glaze. Dongwon Minmul Jangeo below does a “three-color” plate with salt, soy and gochujang.
- The ginger. A pile of finely shredded raw ginger comes with every order. Put a strand on each piece of eel and wrap it in a perilla leaf or pickled radish sheet. Koreans say the sharpness cuts through the fat.
- The extras. Some places bring crisp fried eel bones as a free side and finish with eel soup or scorched-rice porridge.
- The unit. Menus sell by the whole eel, by 200g, by “1 serving” or by the kilo. Ask before you order: 몇 인분이에요? myeot inbun-ieyo? (how many people is this for?).
Seoul-style chutang vs Namwon-style chueotang: what's the difference?
Whole fish and red beef broth in Seoul; ground fish, doenjang and greens in Namwon. Today’s Seoul-style 추탕 chutang starts with a broth of beef bones, brisket or tripe, adds whole loach, and is colored red with chili flakes, with tofu, fried tofu and mushrooms floating in it. It eats a little like yukgaejang. The Namwon style that dominates the rest of the country boils the loach, grinds it, and simmers it with doenjang, dried radish greens and perilla seed powder into a thick, earthy, mild soup. Wonju style adds gochujang, potato and sometimes hand-torn dough.
🍲 The two chueotang styles you will meet in Seoul
| Seoul-style chutang (서울식 추탕) | Namwon-style chueotang (남원식 추어탕) | |
|---|---|---|
| Loach | Whole (통 tong) | Boiled and ground (갈아서 gal-aseo) |
| Broth | Beef bones, brisket or tripe, red chili | Doenjang, dried radish greens, perilla seed |
| Texture | Clear-ish red soup, fish visible | Thick, smooth, no visible fish |
| Heat | Medium, chili in the broth | Mild; you add chili and garlic yourself |
| Where on this list | Yonggeumok (both branches) | Namwon Chueotang, Namdo Sikdang, Wonju Chueotang (ground option) |
Seoul-style chutang has nearly disappeared. Korean media used to name three great chutang houses: Yonggeumok, Hyeongje Chutang and Gombo Chutang. According to reporting by Seoul& (2018) and columnist Cho Yong-jun (2025), Gombo Chutang has closed and Hyeongje Chutang shut in 2017, leaving the two Yonggeumok branches as the last of the old guard. The dish’s origins are told in several versions, from Joseon-era beggars’ guilds under the bridges of Cheonggyecheon to the food of butchers or government servants; none is documented well enough to call it fact.
💡 Practical tip: the brown powder on the table
Every chueotang table has a little jar of brown, numbing powder labeled 산초 sancho. In most cases it is actually 초피 chopi, Korean prickly ash (Zanthoxylum piperitum), a close cousin of Sichuan pepper. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says chueotang needs it to cut the fishy smell. Start with one pinch: it makes your tongue tingle, and not everyone likes it.
Where to eat eel and chueotang in Seoul
Eleven places: six for loach soup and five for eel, covering the four eel species. Each has a dated 2025–2026 sign that it is still open (Kakao Map reviews, menu updates or official listings). Prices and hours are from public listings as of October 2026. Some eel menus have not been updated since 2022–2023, and we say so where that applies.
🏆 Eel and chueotang in Seoul: 11 places (as of October 2026)
| # | Place | Area | Specialty | Price (menu date) | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yonggeumok (Da-dong) | City Hall / Euljiro | Seoul-style chutang | ₩13,000 (2026) | Floor seating, open daily |
| 2 | Yonggeumok (Tongin-dong) | Seochon | Seoul chutang or Namdo chutang | ₩15,000 each (2025) | Michelin Bib, closed Sundays |
| 3 | Namwon Chueotang | Jongno 3-ga | Ground or whole chueotang | ₩13,000 / ₩15,000 (2026) | Oyster bossam in winter |
| 4 | Namwon Chueotang | Jongno 6-ga, Dongdaemun | Chueotang | ₩9,000 (2026) | Cheapest bowl on this list |
| 5 | Namdo Sikdang | Jeong-dong | Chueotang (single menu) | ₩12,000 (2024) | Weekdays only |
| 6 | Wonjo Wonju Chueotang (Gangnam) | Sinnonhyeon | Ground or whole, Wonju style | ₩14,000 / ₩15,000 (2025) | 1 min from the station |
| 7 | Ilmi Jangeo | Seoul Station (Dongja-dong) | Salt-grilled freshwater eel | Lunch bowl ₩19,000 (2023) | Closed weekends |
| 8 | Dongwon Minmul Jangeo | Bukchang-dong, City Hall | “Three-color” grilled eel | ₩31,000 per eel (2022) | Closed Sundays |
| 9 | Namseoul Minmul Jangeo | Nonhyeon | Freshwater eel by 200g | ₩36,000 / 200g (2022) | Fried eel bones, eel soup |
| 10 | Goheung Bada Jangeotang | Seokchon | Conger eel soup and grill | ₩12,000 soup (2026) | Closed Sundays |
| 11 | Gongpyeong-dong Kkomjangeo (main branch) | Jonggak | Grilled hagfish | ₩13,000 per serving (2026) | Opens 15:30, chain’s original |
1. Yonggeumok, Da-dong (용금옥 다동) — The chutang house that started in 1932
The name that comes up whenever Seoul-style chutang is mentioned. Founded in 1932 in Mugyo-dong and moved to the alleys of Da-dong in the 1960s redevelopment (Hankook Ilbo, 2022), Yonggeumok is designated a Seoul Future Heritage and was the only loach-soup restaurant among the city’s 50 heritage nopo highlighted by the Seoul Media Hub in 2021. The Da-dong house makes its broth with beef tripe and adds whole loach, fried tofu and tofu: red, savory and a little spicy. The room is old and you sit on the floor, so if your knees object, go to the Tongin-dong branch instead. Reviews are mixed on service and side dishes; you are here for history and the soup. 24-2 Da-dong-gil, Jung-gu · Euljiro 1-ga Station Exit 1-1, about 5 min · daily 11:00–22:00 · chutang ₩13,000 / fried loach ₩20,000 📍 Open in Naver Map
2. Yonggeumok, Tongin-dong (용금옥 통인동) — Michelin-listed, and both styles on one menu
A branch of the same family line that opened in Seochon in 1997, according to Seoul& (2018). It is listed as a Baengnyeon Gage by the Small Enterprise and Market Service and as a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Seoul 2026. This is the most practical stop for travelers: the menu offers Seoul chutang (whole loach) and Namdo chutang (ground) at ₩15,000 each, so two people can compare the styles side by side. The broth here is beef-bone based rather than tripe. Tables have chairs, solo diners are welcome, and it is an 8-minute walk from Gyeongbokgung Station, which makes it a natural lunch after the palace. 41-2 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu · Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2, about 8 min · Mon–Fri 11:30–21:05 (break 15:00–17:00), Sat 11:30–20:00, closed Sun · Seoul chutang / Namdo chutang ₩15,000 each / fried loach ₩28,000
3. Namwon Chueotang, Jongno 3-ga (남원추어탕 종로3가) — Ground loach two minutes from the station
For a Namwon-style bowl in central Seoul, this is the easiest address: about 80 meters from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 12, close to Jongmyo Shrine and Ikseon-dong. The menu splits clearly into chueotang (ground, ₩13,000) and tong-chueotang (whole, ₩15,000), and turnover is quick at lunch. Regulars also come in winter for the oyster bossam (boiled pork with fresh oysters), a seasonal bonus. 3 Donhwamun-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu · Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 12, about 2 min · Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30, Sat to 21:00 (break 15:00–17:00), closed Sun · chueotang ₩13,000 / whole loach ₩15,000 / fried loach ₩20,000 📍 Open in Naver Map
4. Namwon Chueotang, Jongno 6-ga (남원추어탕 종로6가) — The ₩9,000 bowl near Dongdaemun
A different shop with the same common name, near Dongdaemun Station, described by regulars as about 26 years old. Its ₩9,000 chueotang is the cheapest on this list, and it opens at 10:00, so it works for an early lunch before the Dongdaemun fabric market or Naksan Park. Regulars’ trick: add a spoon of minced garlic, chopped hot chili and a pinch of chopi to the bowl. 21 Yulgok-ro 30-gil, Jongno-gu · Dongdaemun Station Exit 10, about 4 min · Mon–Sat 10:00–21:30, closed Sun · chueotang ₩9,000 / whole loach ₩12,000 / herbal chueotang ₩13,000 📍 Open in Naver Map
5. Namdo Sikdang, Jeong-dong (남도식당) — One dish on the Deoksugung stone-wall road
An old single-menu chueotang shop on Jeongdong-gil, the tree-lined lane along Deoksugung Palace’s stone wall. There is nothing to decide: one bowl of chueotang (₩12,000 on its last posted menu), rice and side dishes, which makes it an easy solo lunch near City Hall. It opens on weekdays only. Recent reviews say the flavor has changed, so treat it as a convenient palace-walk stop rather than a pilgrimage. 41-3 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu · City Hall Station Exit 12, about 8 min · Mon–Fri 11:30–20:00, closed weekends and public holidays · chueotang ₩12,000
6. Wonjo Wonju Chueotang, Gangnam (원조원주추어탕 강남본점) — Ground or whole, a minute from Sinnonhyeon
South of the river, this Wonju-style house recently moved to a two-story space one minute from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 4. The menu spells out the choice: gal-aseo (ground) ₩14,000 or tong-mari (whole) ₩15,000. It also serves catfish bulgogi, an unusual dish you will rarely see on a Seoul menu. Open until 22:00, Monday to Saturday, it works for a late dinner after Gangnam shopping. 3 Bongeunsa-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu · Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 4, about 1 min · Mon–Sat 10:00–22:00, closed Sun · ground ₩14,000 / whole ₩15,000 / fried loach ₩15,000 📍 Open in Naver Map
7. Ilmi Jangeo (일미장어) — Salt-grilled eel behind Seoul Station
The most solidly documented eel nopo we found: Ilmi Jangeo is on the Small Enterprise and Market Service’s Baengnyeon Gage list, in a basement in the old Dongja-dong alleys behind Seoul Station. It grills eel over charcoal with salt only, no sweet sauce, and serves it with fried eel bones and a spicy freshwater fish stew. For travelers, the important item is the weekday lunch eel rice bowl (₩19,000 on its 2023 menu), the easiest way to eat proper eel alone. Be careful with timing: lunch ends at 13:30, the restaurant does not reopen until 17:30, and it is closed on weekends. B1, 35-15 Huam-ro 57-gil, Yongsan-gu · Seoul Station Exit 10, about 6 min · weekdays 11:30–21:00 (break 13:30–17:30), closed Sat–Sun · eel set ₩36,000 / weekday lunch eel bowl ₩19,000
8. Dongwon Minmul Jangeo (동원민물장어) — Three sauces in the City Hall office district
An old eel house in Bukchang-dong, the dense block of restaurants behind City Hall where Seoul’s office workers take clients. Its signature is the three-color grilled eel: one eel in three seasonings, salt, soy and gochujang, so you do not have to pick. The eel arrives par-grilled and private rooms are available. Its last posted menu (2022) listed ₩31,000 per eel, so expect a higher price now. 22-6 Sejong-daero 14-gil, Jung-gu · City Hall Station Exit 7, about 5 min · Mon–Fri 10:00–22:00, Sat 10:00–21:00 (break 15:00–17:00), closed Sun · freshwater eel from ₩31,000 per eel (2022 menu)
9. Namseoul Minmul Jangeo (남서울민물장어) — The full eel course in Gangnam
For the whole eel-house experience south of the river, this Nonhyeon restaurant sells eel by the 200g (₩36,000 on its 2022 menu) in three styles: sauce, salt or gochujang. Staff grill at the table, fried eel bones arrive as a side, and the meal ends with eel soup and scorched-rice porridge. Regulars describe it as a 30- to 40-year-old house, though we could not confirm the year. Ordering by 200g makes it more manageable for two than places that sell by the kilo. 137 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu · Eonju Station Exit 1, about 5 min · daily 12:00–21:30, last order 20:30 · eel 200g ₩36,000 (2022 menu)
10. Goheung Bada Jangeotang (고흥바다장어탕) — Conger eel, the affordable one
If freshwater eel prices are a shock, sea eel is the answer. This Seokchon-dong restaurant, near Seokchon Lake and Lotte World, specializes in conger eel (bungjangeo, the anago of Japanese menus). The eel soup is ₩12,000 and comes with rice cooked in an iron pot; a single serving of sauce-grilled conger is ₩25,000; and the menu also has anago sashimi and hagfish. It is the best place on this list to taste the difference between sea and freshwater eel without spending much. 5 Samhaksa-ro 12-gil, Songpa-gu · Seokchon-gobun Station Exit 3, about 3 min · Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30, closed Sun · eel soup ₩12,000 (special ₩15,000) / grilled conger 1 serving ₩25,000 / anago sashimi (M) ₩45,000 📍 Open in Naver Map
11. Gongpyeong-dong Kkomjangeo, main branch (공평동꼼장어 본점) — Hagfish and soju near Jonggak
Not a stamina restaurant so much as a drinking one, but it completes the eel family. 꼼장어 kkomjangeo is hagfish, skinned and grilled over charcoal with salt or a fiery chili sauce until it curls up and turns chewy. This is the original branch of a small chain near Jonggak Station, opens at 15:30, and fills with office workers and soju bottles by 19:00. ₩13,000 per serving for either salt or spicy. Staff do the grilling. 29 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu · Jonggak Station Exit 2, about 2 min · Mon–Sat 15:30–24:00, closed Sun · hagfish (salt or spicy) ₩13,000 per serving 📍 Open in Naver Map
💡 Practical tip: ordering eel and chueotang
- Ground or whole? Say 갈아서 주세요 gal-aseo juseyo (ground, please) or 통으로 주세요 tong-euro juseyo (whole, please). Whole loach has fine bones you will feel.
- Eel seasoning. 소금구이 sogeum-gui (salt) or 양념구이 yangnyeom-gui (sauce). Some places allow 반반 banban (half and half).
- Eating eel alone? Look for 장어덮밥 jangeo-deopbap (eel rice bowl) at lunch.
- Less spicy? Seoul-style chutang is red in the pot, so it cannot be toned down much. The Namwon style is mild; just skip the chili on the table.
- More sides are free. Ginger, perilla leaves and kimchi refills: 생강 더 주세요 saenggang deo juseyo (more ginger, please).
- Check where it's from. Restaurants must post the origin of loach and eel on the wall. 국내산 guknaesan means domestic.
- Mind closing days. Most places on this list close on Sundays; Ilmi Jangeo and Namdo Sikdang close all weekend.
ℹ️ Background: why the wall sign matters
Korea's country-of-origin rules for restaurants cover a fixed list of 29 ingredients, and both loach and eel are on it, according to Guro-gu Office's guidance on the law. The sign must be at least 29 × 42 cm and posted where diners can see it. Imported loach and eel are both common and legal; the sign simply lets you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Is chueotang very fishy? Not when it is made well. The Namwon style is ground and seasoned with doenjang and perilla, so it tastes more like a thick, savory stew than fish. Seoul-style chutang has a beef broth. The chopi powder on the table is there to cut any fishiness that remains.
Q. How much does grilled eel cost in Seoul? On the menus we checked, freshwater eel ranges from ₩31,000 to ₩44,000 per whole eel, about ₩36,000 per 200g, and ₩59,000 to ₩110,000 per kilo, depending on size and restaurant. Conger eel and hagfish are much cheaper (₩13,000–25,000 per serving).
Q. Is eel or chueotang the better choice for a first-timer? For a cheap, quick and very Korean meal, chueotang (₩9,000–15,000, one bowl per person). For a special dinner, grilled freshwater eel. For both in one day, combine Yonggeumok Tongin-dong for lunch with an eel dinner in Bukchang-dong or Nonhyeon.
Sources
- Chueotang — Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (Academy of Korean Studies)
- Seoul Media Hub — Seoul Future Heritage restaurants (Nov 2021)
- Yonggeumok — Michelin Guide Seoul 2026
- Baengnyeon Gage list — Small Enterprise and Market Service
- Hankook Ilbo — Yonggeumok's history (May 2022)
- Seoul& — Seoul-style chutang and its three old houses (Jan 2018)
- Jeonbuk Ilbo — Namwon chueotang (Aug 2018)
- Weekly Kyunghyang — Chopi and sancho are different plants (Jun 2008)
- Money Today — Freshwater eel, conger, pike conger and hagfish (May 2021)
- Maeil Shinmun — Gochang and "pungcheon" eel (Aug 2024)
- Herald Business — Korea's eel farming and imported glass eels (Jul 2025)
- Guro-gu Office — Country-of-origin labeling for restaurants
- Kakao Map place listings (menus, hours, latest reviews) for each restaurant, checked 2026-10-02
Prices and hours reflect public listings as of October 2026; menu dates are shown where listings are older. A checked date will be added after on-site verification.